CVE-2024-10542

Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk <= 6.43.2 - Authorization Bypass via Reverse DNS Spoofing to Unauthenticated Arbitrary Plugin Installation

2024-11-25 17:06
mikemyers

Strategic Overview

Status
Patched in 6.44
Affected Plugin
Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk
Affected Version
<= 6.43.2
CVSS
9.8Critical
Weakness type
CWE-862 · Missing Authorization
CVE
CVE-2024-10542
View all Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk vulnerabilities

At a glance

CVE-2024-10542 is a critical-severity Missing Authorization vulnerability in the Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk WordPress plugin, affecting versions <= 6.43.2. It carries a CVSS score of 9.8 (reachable over the network; low attack complexity; high confidentiality, integrity, availability impact). Exploitation requires no authentication. The issue is fixed in version 6.44; sites on affected versions should update now. Disclosed November 2024, reported by mikemyers.

Vulnerability Overview

The Spam protection, Anti-Spam, FireWall by CleanTalk plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to unauthorized Arbitrary Plugin Installation due to an authorization bypass via reverse DNS spoofing on the checkWithoutToken function in all versions up to, and including, 6.43.2. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to install and activate arbitrary plugins which can be leveraged to achieve remote code execution if another vulnerable plugin is installed and activated.

Technical Analysis

The vector marks this flaw as remotely reachable over the network, with low attack complexity — no special timing or configuration is needed, and no privileges on the target site, and no interaction from a victim user. A successful exploit has high impact on confidentiality, integrity, availability — full site compromise territory.

CWE-862: Missing Authorization

Reaching this weakness in Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk <= 6.43.2 takes no account at all. A missing authorization check means a function is reachable by anyone who can reach the endpoint, because the code never asks whether the caller is allowed to perform the action.

Any user who can reach the endpoint gets to run an action reserved for higher-privileged roles, from reading protected data to changing settings or content. For Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk the fix is 6.44: builds <= 6.43.2 are affected, anything from 6.44 onward is not.

Remediation

Update to version 6.44, or a newer patched version

How does WordSec protect against this?

This one needs no account at all, which puts it outside what login hardening can reach; WordSec's login security narrows the account-level paths around it, and the firewall is what inspects the request itself. None of that substitutes for the fix: Spam protection, Honeypot, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk 6.44 closes this, and updating the plugin is the step that ends it.

  • Login Security
  • Alerts

External References

https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-10542https://www.wordfence.com/threat-intel/vulnerabilities/id/d7eb5fad-bb62-4f0b-ad52-b16c3e442b62https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-10542

Related records

Vulnerability data © Defiant, Inc., provided under the Wordfence Intelligence T&C